The whole world is beside you

President Abdul Hamid yesterday assured the Rohingyas of their safe and dignified return to their homeland in Myanmar's Rakhine State.

"Bangladesh government stood beside the displaced Rohingyas on the humanitarian grounds . . .  Not only that the whole world is beside you," the president said while distributing relief goods to the displaced Rohingyas at Kutupalong in Ukhiya of Cox's Bazar.

The president witnessed the conditions of the Rohingyas, spoke to them and listened to stories of their plight during his visit, President's Press Secretary Joynal Abedin told journalists yesterday evening.

Abdul Hamid also visited a Rohingyas health camp and a biometric registration centre run by the Bangladesh army at Balukhali Math of Kutupalong.

The president reached Kutupalong Rohingya camp around noon yesterday as part of his two-day visit there.

President Hamid was accompanied by Disaster Management and Relief Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury, secretaries concerned, senior civil and military officials among others. His visit came high on the heels of a deal signed by Bangladesh and Myanmar for Rohingyas' repatriation.

More than 620,000 Rohingyas fled to Bangladesh since the August 25 army crackdown in Rakhine. Most of these forcibly displaced people are traumatized, hungry and some of them are with injuries caused by gunshots, shrapnel, fire and landmines.

On several occasions, 400,000 Rohingyas had been forced to take shelter in Bangladesh. Altogether Bangladesh is currently hosting over a million Rohingyas.

President Hamid will inaugurate a programme of Bangladesh navy "Indian Ocean Naval Symposium' (IONS) Multilateral Maritime Search Rescue Exercise -2017 (IMMSARFEX-2017) at Hotel Royal Tulip adjacent to the Inani Beach of Cox's Bazar today.

The press secretary said the warships, navy chiefs, concerned high officials and maritime experts of some 32 countries, including nine observers, will take part in the programme.